Collagen-apatite (Col-Ap) composites resembling the composition of natural bone have been studied extensively and are considered as promising bone tissue engineering materials. Apatite exhibits good biocompatibility, osteoconductivity and bone-bonding ability, but its brittleness, rigidity, and low degradation rate limit its usefulness in broader applications. Collagen, the most abundant protein of extracellular matrix, is chemotactic to fibroblasts. It shows high affinity to cells and good resorbability in vivo. Nevertheless, its poor mechanical strength has restricted its usage in load-bearing applications. By adding apatite to collagen, the mechanical properties of the resulting composite could increase substantially. It was also reported that Col-Ap composite scaffolds demonstrate better osteoconductive properties and higher levels of osteogenic gene expression than non-mineralized collagen scaffolds.
Many approaches to the production of Col-Ap scaffolds have been developed, however, what is needed are Col-Ap scaffold of defined structure and methods of making the structures.